Congratulations !
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NYC is a very competitive place to apply from with many students wanting admissions to the same school.
I sent you a PM.
Can you access it?
I tend to agree with you. The essays are the frosting on the cake (not an entirely apt analogy, but I do think they hold the package together and need to be attractive.)
I just donāt think thereās any way to truly discount test scores in this odd test optional era. Itās clear that many/most who donāt submit tests are doing so because they donāt have a score in the typical range for that school (yes, there were Covid-related exceptions.) Submitting a less than optimal score had its own issues. It seems to me that schools either need to consider scores for all or none. I personally think the test is a useful piece of the puzzle.
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No, DS submitted (ACT 35)
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Replying to ChezCurie - Iām seeing tons of WLs for kids with very high test scores, both at schools that may be yield-protecting and ones with extremely low acceptance rates. I think that cohort will have a lot of WLs. This has been the case for my kid and it seems like many are in the same boat.
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My kid submitted a 1570 SAT and has 7 waitlists.
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Best of luck on the waitlists. Sorry to hear.
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An acceptance at Rice too so we are all good. Thanks all!
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Interesting that you say that about not controlling the LoRs. I have read posts where students happily admit writing their own LoRs for their teachers to sign.
That seems a little dishonest to me, since an LoR should be an opinion about the student based on the writerās experience. However, Iām sure people have differing feelings about it.
I have not heard about kids writing their own reccs. Does this happen?
We suspect LOR to be a culprit for DSā WL/Rejections. When we realized (after 3 deferments in the EA), we changed it during the RD round and things worked really well.
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My grad advisor asked me to do this years ago. I wasnāt comfortable with it, and he eventually wrote one for me. But, that was fairly common at the time. Maybe it still happens?
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My husband eventually turfed off the assisting with essays to ME. But I was a literature major so my standards were much higher than his. My DS21 and I would sit across from each other for about a hour at a time (that was all either of us could tolerate). He wrote every word and thankfully by the end was a much better writer.
Want to add, that our state flagship is decent, but our son outright refused to apply to it. Hoo boy, was he humbled by this process!
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Iāve seen this happen for grad school a little bit. Even here it is best for the advisor to write. It will sound more authentic. For example when the best kid from my undergrad batch was being recommended, his advisor simply wrote āJust grab himā. You canāt write this about yourself :-).
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Also parents should be allowed to have a beer or a shot of hard liquor after each acceptance. TWO for rejections. THREE for waitlists.
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No decision yet. His two top choices are WashU and Vanderbilt but Vanderbilt gave him merit money plus money for a summer experience (some newly named program) so there needs to be a compelling reason for him to choose Wash U. He is a musician so I think he would enjoy the music/cultural scene more in Nashville than in St.Louis. None of us have been to either city. He is still waiting to hear from 7 more schools.
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In our school, kids with a combination of high test scores and GPA faced outright rejection or a WL in few cases. I was telling my D, that sheās lucky enough to have a B tag for PE otherwise she can face the same. Honestly the few admits some kids got, most of us feel they are a perfect fit for that college. Iām not sure how AOs look through the application and understand the personality. Hats off to some of those.
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Hi friends, S22 is all done! Applied to 20 and ended up with 10 acceptances, 5 waitlists, 5 denials. 1570/36/4.7/3.9, top high school, solid ECs. Results were predictable. Final decision hasnāt been reached, but soon, very soon!
As the parent carrying the stress of this process, I am so very happy to call it a night. My sonās journey continues on as he takes the reigns, decides on his plan, creates space for himself, and becomes who he was meant to be.
Wishing you all the best in letting go and accepting the next chapter as it unfolds 
I am so very proud of our kids, our parenting, and our community for providing the unexpected but appreciated insights, support, wisdom, and guidance received this year!
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